6 Foods to Maintain Bone Health: Not Just Calcium

CNN Indonesia

Friday, 29 Dec 2023 08:52 IWST

1. 6 Foods to Maintain Bone Health, You Don’t Just Need Calcium 2. 6 Foods to Maintain Bone Health, You Don’t Just Need Calcium

Food is not only needed to maintain physical health. But there are also foods to maintain healthy bones. (iStock/carlosgaw)

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Food is not only needed to maintain physical health. But there are those too food to maintain bone health.

A healthy, balanced diet will help you build healthy bones from an early age and maintain them throughout your life.

You need enough calcium to maintain healthy bones and vitamin D to help the body absorb calcium.

Poor bone health can lead to conditions such as rickets and osteoporosis and increase the risk of fractures from falls later in life.

You should be able to get all the nutrients you need for healthy bones by eating a balanced diet.

A good diet is just one element of building healthy bones, which also includes exercise and avoiding certain risk factors for osteoporosis.

The following foods to maintain bone health:

1. Eat Lots of Vegetables

Vegetables are great for your bones.

They are one of the best sources of vitamin C, which stimulates the production of bone-forming cells. In addition, several studies show that the antioxidant effects of vitamin C can protect bone cells from damage.

Vegetables also seem to increase bone mineral density, also known as bone density.

Bone density is a measure of the amount of calcium and other minerals found in your bones. Both osteopenia (low bone mass) and osteoporosis (brittle bones) are conditions characterized by low bone density.

High intake of green and yellow vegetables has been associated with increased bone mineralization during childhood and maintenance of bone mass in young adults.

Eating lots of vegetables has also been shown to be beneficial for older women.

A study of women over 50 years old found that those who consumed onions most often had a 20 percent lower risk of developing osteoporosis, compared to women who rarely ate them.

One of the main risk factors for osteoporosis in older people is increased bone turnover, or the process of breaking down and forming new bone.

In a three-month study, women who consumed more than nine servings of broccoli, cabbage, parsley, or other plants rich in bone-protecting antioxidants experienced decreased bone turnover.

2. Consume sufficient protein

Getting enough protein is important for bone health. In fact, about 50 percent of bones are made of protein.

Researchers have reported that low protein intake decreases calcium absorption and may also affect the rate of bone formation and breakdown.

However, concerns have also been raised that high-protein diets will remove calcium from bones to counter increased acidity in the blood.

However, research has found that this is not the case in people who consume up to 100 grams of protein daily, as long as this is balanced with plenty of plant foods and adequate calcium intake.

In fact, research shows that older women, in particular, appear to have better bone density when they consume higher amounts of protein.

In a large, six-year observational study of more than 144,000 postmenopausal women, higher protein intake was associated with a lower risk of forearm fracture and significantly higher bone density in the hips, spine, and whole body.

What’s more, a diet that contains a greater percentage of calories than protein can help maintain bone mass during weight loss.

In a one-year study, women who consumed 86 grams of protein daily on a calorie-restricted diet lost less bone mass in the arms, spine, hips and legs than women who consumed 60 grams of protein per day.

3. Eat Foods High in Calcium

Calcium is the most important mineral for bone health, and is the main mineral found in your bones.

Because old bone cells are constantly being broken down and replaced by new cells, it is important to consume calcium daily to protect bone structure and strength.

The RDI for calcium is 1,000 mg per day for most people, although teenagers need 1,300 mg and older women need 1,200 mg.

However, the amount of calcium absorbed by the body can vary greatly.

Interestingly, if you eat foods that contain more than 500 mg of calcium, your body will absorb much less calcium than if you consume smaller amounts.

Therefore, it’s best to spread your calcium intake throughout the day by including one high-calcium food from this list at each meal.

Getting calcium is also best from food rather than supplements.

A recent 10-year study of 1,567 people found that although high dietary calcium intake lowered the overall risk of heart disease, those who took calcium supplements had a 22 percent greater risk of heart disease.

6 Foods to Maintain Bone Health, Not Just Calcium

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2023-12-29 01:52:12
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